intercultural leadership training

In the cooperation with St Heliers Centre Auckland and Carehouse Paeroa we organized from from 6-8 May 2016 in Paeroa an Intercultural Leadership Training for young people. Our aim was to encourage and empower youth by providing training that promote and enhance the quality of life for themselves, their communities and our world. With the input from the Māori Community and great workshops (form communication training to music session and basketball coaching) led by young people, we created an open space, seen as an opportunity for young people from various cultures, faiths and no-faith to get to know each other, share their vision, hopes and dreams for New Zealand and for the world. This is a necessary first step towards a New Zealand future and our common future of global coexistence.

MAORI CULTURE

One of the important part of our programme was to know more about the Māori culture. Māori are the tangata whenua, the indigenous people, of New Zealand. They came here more than 1000 years ago from their mythical Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. Today Māori make up 14% of our population and their history, language and tradition are central to New Zealand’s identity. New Zealand’s Māori culture is an integral part of Kiwi life and adds a unique, dynamic experience for all people living in New Zealand.

In the mare at the beginning of any hui, following the pōwhiri (formal welcome) , a round of introductions and speeches – or mihimihi – occurs. During this time, our host and guest ordinarily stand to share a little bit about where they come from and who they are in relation to this (i.e. share their pepeha, or tribal aphorism); many share significant parts of their whakaapa (genealogy).

Mihi whakatau from Dr. Anna Storck

Here is the mihi whakatau (formal greetings) Dr. Anna Storck prepared for her workshop about intercultural competence at the mare. It was the first time when she mentioned her parents and the place where she comes from instead of introducing herself in terms of positions and degrees. What a beautiful cross cultural experience!